She shook her head. “Well we can’t. Please leave and don’t come back.” She pushed the door closed and I slammed my palm against the door to keep it open and she gasped, brown eyes widened with fear. “What the hell?”
“Five minutes. Give me five minutes and then I’ll go.”
She took a step back. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said and took another step back. She walked through the living and into the kitchen, giving me a long look at her delectable heart-shaped ass and shapely toned legs in that soft looking dress she wore. “Speak.” Jana stayed on the other side of the island counter, glaring at me like I m
ight attack her at any moment.
“I was an asshole.”
“No arguments here.”
I grinned but there was no amusement on her face. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. It’s just that-,”
“Nope,” she shook her head furiously and fisted her hands on her hips. “You were right. I am not your mother. In fact, we’re not anything other than a memory. Don’t worry yourself about it, Max.”
“I know damn well you’re not my mother, Jana. That doesn’t mean I should’ve said that bullshit to you. And I am sorry, I was just worried and I’m not real good at showing those kinds of emotions.” I felt like a fucking asshole sitting here talking about my feelings while she kept a whole damn island between us, but I needed her to know. “It wasn’t about you. It was about me, and that’s not a line.”
She closed her eyes, trying to block the onslaught of words. “Fine Max, I accept your apology. Happy?”
“No. I’ve missed you.”
She scoffed. “You’re horny again, which is strange because you were with a woman when I called about your brother.”
Dammit. I wasn’t sure earlier if she’d heard Brenna or not, but she had. “I wasn’t with any damn body,” I shot back angrily. “You want the truth or you just want to believe the worst of me?”
To her credit, Jana took a moment to think about it. She was a logical, levelheaded woman so I knew she would take the question seriously. “I’m not sure, but I am curious so tell me.”
Shit. “My club, the Reckless Bastards, we might not share a lot in common with some of the other motorcycle clubs but we’re men. There are always women, a certain type of woman who wants nothing more than to be a biker’s old lady. They are willing to do anything—anything—to become one, including sleeping with whoever is available in hopes of being promoted from a Reckless Bitch to an old lady.”
She didn’t say anything for a long time. “Wow.” She turned to the fridge and pulled out two brown bottles, sliding one to the edge of the counter for me. “So it doesn’t count?”
“It doesn’t if I didn’t fuck her. And I didn’t. Brenna came in as soon as I picked up the phone, hoping to tempt me to fuck her. I wouldn’t have fucked her anyway, but after your call I spent the next couple hours trying to find my fucking brother.”
Her demeanor changed instantly. “Did you find out anything?”
“Nope. He hasn’t called at all. The guys are getting ready for a party, but now I don’t even know if he’ll fucking show.”
Jana sighed and nodded as she walked around the counter, taking a seat across the table from me. “This isn’t about you, Max. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth. Your brother did six years of someone else’s time and that’s not an easy thing to come back from. He might not come around for a while,” she shrugged. “Or he might be on his way to your club room right now. My guess is that he’s decompressing with the people who helped free him.”
“Shit, you’re right. Thanks.” I laid a hand on top of hers, grateful that she hadn’t pulled away in disgust. “Still, he’s cut me off completely.”
That made her pull back for some reason. “You ever think it might be because of your club?” Her words held no venom but they pissed me off all the same.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
She pushed back from the table and stood, abandoned her beer just to get away from me. “It means being associated with a biker gang might have hurt his chances to gain his freedom.” She sounded exasperated, like I was the one being unreasonable.
“We are a club. A legal fucking club.”
She shrugged. “Fine, I’m wrong. You should probably go check on the party.” And right before my eyes, I watched her shut down. Pull away from me and shutter her emotions.
“Come with me.”
“No.” she crossed her arms over her body in a protective move that spoke volumes.
“Why not?”
She sighed. “Because Max, I may not be much to look at but I am a person and I deserve respect. I doubt I’ll get that at a place where men treat women like you and your friends do. Have a good life, Max.”